The present invention relates to portable communication devices. In particular, the present invention relates to portable communication devices having an output unit that is positionable and rotatable with respect to an input unit.
People frequently want to adjust the position of a portable communication device, such as a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) or a wireless telephone. For example, a user may want to adjust the position of a portable communication device to facilitate an input of information into the device. In the case of a PDA, a user may want to position the PDA so that he or she can easily use a keypad. As another example, a user may want to position a wireless telephone so that he or she can speak into a microphone or so that the wireless telephone is able to transmit a signal to another device (e.g., a device associated with a cellular telephone service provider). As still another example, a user may want to adjust the angle of a digital camera lens associated with a PDA when taking a digital picture.
Similarly, a user may want to adjust the position of a portable communication device to facilitate an output of information from the device. For example, a user may want to adjust the position of a PDA or wireless telephone to improve the visibility of a display screen (e.g., by reducing glare). As another example, a user may want to adjust the position of a wireless telephone to better hear sound from a speaker.
Users may also want to adjust the position of a portable communication device for other reasons. For example, a user may prefer to not position a wireless telephone's antenna too close to his or her head (due to a fear of potential harmful effects that may result from energy radiated by the antenna).
Note that a user may want to position a portable communication device one particular way to facilitate an input of information and another way to facilitate an output of information. For example, a user may want to place a PDA's keypad at one angle and the PDA's display screen at another angle. Similarly, a user may want to point a digital camera lens associated with a wireless telephone in one direction while pointing the telephone's display screen in another direction. As still another example, a user may want to separately position a wireless telephone's microphone and speaker (e.g., in accordance with his or her physical characteristics).
Some portable communication devices have a “clamshell” design that lets a user rotate, for example, a display screen only about a single axis with respect to a keypad. Similarly, some wireless telephones open to let a user rotate a speaker about a single axis with respect to a microphone. This approach, however, provides a user with only a very limited ability to position parts of the portable communication device (e.g., parts of the device typically can only rotate about a single axis).
Other designs let a user move and/or rotate a first part with respect to a second part. For example, a PDA may be connected to a keyboard by a wire or cable, or a headset may be connected to a wireless telephone by a wire or cable. In some cases, the first and second parts communicate wirelessly (e.g., a laptop's keyboard may wirelessly communicate with a display screen). In either case, although the parts are independently movable, the portable communication device will not maintain a position selected by the user. As a result, the user needs to maintain a desired position in some other way (e.g., by balancing the keyboard on his or her lap), which can be awkward and inconvenient.